Resources on Brake

How many of Brake’s photographs does Te Papa have?About 114,000 individual images, if you count each one of the rolls of black and white film. There are about 29,100 35mm colour transparencies (‘slides’), 5,250 large-format 4 x 5 inch transparencies and negatives, and 2,250 rolls of 35mm black and white film.

Some of Brake’s photographs seem to have been lost over the years, but Te Papa’s holdings comprise all the photographs Brake had at the time of his death.

Is it possible to see all of these?A very large number of them. Te Papa hopes to have nearly all of them scanned by the end of 2010. They can be viewed on our Collections Online pages.

How did Te Papa get his collection?It was gifted to Te Papa in 2001 by Brake’s partner Wai-man Lau.

What exhibitions and books have there been about Brake?The first survey exhibition was Brian Brake: 40 Photographs at the Dowse Art Gallery in 1976. It was accompanied by a slim, well-printed catalogue.

Then, in 1995, Te Papa produced Brian Brake: China, the 1950s with an accompanying catalogue, and Monsoon in 1998. An independent book also titled Monsoon was published by Bateman in 2007.

Finally, there is Te Papa’s 2010 exhibition and accompanying catalogue, Brian Brake: Lens on the world.